An unexploded 450kg World War II bomb was just found in downtown Hong Kong

An unexploded 450kg bomb from World War II was just uncovered in the downtown financial district of Wan Chai in Hong Kong.

Construction workers building a new cross-harbour commuter rail link discovered the bomb at the site near the harbourfront. The area was immediately put into total lockdown, with roads closed and thousands of people evacuated from surrounding shops, hotels and offices.

Police officers from the bomb disposal unit were called in to safely clean and dispose of the bomb, which officer Alick McWhirter described to the Sydney Morning Herald as in a “dangerous condition” because “the fuse mechanism is severely damaged”.

Photo: Anthony Wallace/AFP/Getty Images

The disposal team took a happy snap with the bomb.

Photo: Anthony Wallace/AFP/Getty Images

The bomb had to be winched and then rolled into the bomb disposal van.

Photo: Anthony Wallace/AFP/Getty Images

Photo: Anthony Wallace/AFP/Getty Images

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that it’s the second bomb this week that has been found at the same site. The first bomb was found 10 metres away and was the same size and model.

It’s not unusual to find similar bombs in the area, as it was one of the epicentres of the conflict throughout WWII.